Cara Loverock
Northern News Services
Published Wednesday, June 11, 2008

SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Yellowknife RCMP are looking for a person they believe witnessed a sexual assault on the Frame Lake trail on June 6.

A woman was walking along the trail to watch the sunset around midnight when she was attacked from behind.

"Our members are still looking into it and we still don't have a suspect," RCMP Sgt. Larry O'Brien said. "We believe there was a witness who was there who would have seen what happened and we're trying to get this person to come forward."

The attack took place on the trail between Stanton Hospital and the Yellowknife Community Arena.

The suspect is described as an aboriginal male, medium build and under five foot eight. RCMP are asking the public to contact the Yellowknife RCMP detachment or the Crime Stoppers tip line with any information that may aid the investigation. "We haven't received any tips from the public so far, as far as I know," said O'Brien on Monday.

In 2004 incidents of groping were reported to police by women who said they had been grabbed on the buttocks by an unknown man. Two of these assaults occurred on the Frame Lake trail.

In October 2002 an 11-year-old girl was sexually assaulted on the trail near Gitzel Street. In August 1999 there was a similar incident in which a woman was sexually assaulted in a park off Gitzel Street, near the Frame Lake trail.

Sharon Thomas, executive director of the Status of Women Council of the NWT, said a community meeting should be held to discuss the dangers of Frame Lake Trail, especially for women walking alone.

She said forming a plan and posting a public advisory in the area could also be helpful.

"That's just an idea. I would like to hear other ideas, so we need to move on this and have some kind of community meeting and decide different things we can do," Thomas said.